


Anything

by KibaSin



Series: Past Time [43]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto
Genre: F/M, Love, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 19:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was being placed on trial by the council and it was all his fault; because she loved him, and she'd decided to take the path that made her do anything for him to make his life better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anything

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any material belonging to the creators of Inuyasha or Naruto.

* * *

Glares were cast at her from all sides, and some of them could not understand how she could manage to smile as she gazed into the serious face of the Godaime Hokage. She smiled so softly, her eyes shining, as they accused her of things over and over again—some were ridiculous, but they were things that caused her eyes to twinkle a little more, as she obviously reminisced over the items they brought forth. Others, however, were very grave, and it was surprising to see such a young girl, a girl that was not more than chuunin level, smile so softly as they brought forth such issues.

Hiashi's glare intensified, and he turned his full attention to the Godaime Hokage, seeing her staring at him with a serious look etched deeply into her eye. "This girl," he spat, "has upset the balance of our clan."

Tsunade lowered her head a bit, continuing to support her chin on her hands. "Continue, Hiashi-san," she commanded, noticing him stop as if for dramatics. It was already bad enough that the girl had to have the entire Hyuuga council against her; he did not need to drag this meeting out longer than need be.

"We do not meddle into the secrets of other clans'," Hiashi stated. "We do not go out of our way to try and change something within those clans' if we find it against what we believe, either. Yet this girl, this  _Higurashi_ , has come into our family and meddled, as we do not, Hokage-sama. If she were younger, a child that did not understand her actions, we would not press this matter so harshly, but she is obviously  _not_  a child, and should be placed for judgement."

Tsunade sighed, "Tell me, Hiashi-san, what exactly she has done to upset you so? You have yet to mention that." Really, did every clan make it their sole duty to irritate the hell out of her? It was times like these that she felt like getting something really strong to drink, along with borrowing some money in order to  _really_  gamble. Make some big bucks! Others might call her foolish for continuing to try, but today she'd felt lucky until this had all started.

A Hyuuga elder spoke up from the background, "That girl has erased the curse mark from one of our clansmen! The mark is designed, as you know, to keep the secrets of the Byakugan, yet she has come into our clan, and wiped it clean from our clansmen. That girl has—"

Tsunade lowered her hand, "I understand." Propping it back underneath her chin, she turned her head so that she could see the solemn faces of the other elders staring down at the girl. Obviously they'd need to get to the bottom of this or that girl was going to die, and she didn't want to sign anymore paperwork for the day. She really, really didn't want to, and especially not execution papers for a girl that brought her herbs whenever she requested them. Dealing with the girl's grandfather was annoying; she'd rather deal with the heiress. "However, I would like to see this Hyuuga whose curse mark has been erased. I wish to see it for  _myself_ , if you don't mind?"

"Of course not, Hokage-sama," another Hyuuga elder said. He turned his head to the ANBU standing at his right, and commanded, "Bring forth the boy!"

Her head lowered a bit more, but she turned her head when the doors opened again, and in he stepped. His pupil-less eyes met hers, the emotion in her eyes reflecting briefly in his own, before they turned emotionless and he looked around the room. She smiled a little more, continuing to watch him as he walked forward, toward the Hokage. She tugged slightly at her bonds as he past her, and wished desperately that she could reach out to him, touch him in some way, but he merely sent her a small, sad glance, and continued forward to the Hokage.

"Hyuuga Neji?" Tsunade questioned. "You're the one whose curse mark has been removed without permission of your clan elders?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. It was pointless to lie to the Hokage, and even if he wished to, this was what destiny had given them. Life would go on if they decided her fate to be death, and though he would mourn her, he would continue to live with her in his memory. If the council decided she would be sentenced to death, there was nothing more he could do for her, though a part of him wished that he could merely whisk her away and never return here.

Tsunade allowed her gaze to drift, resting once again on the quiet girl. "Higurashi Kagome," she said, catching the girl's attention completely as she straightened herself, "how do you plead?"

"I cannot plead innocent, Tsunade-sama, or I am the one who removed the mark from him," Kagome smiled. "And I did it happily."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, feeling the hostility from the Hyuuga Clan rising in the room. Returning her gaze to the Hyuuga now standing in front of her, she commanded, "Show me. Show this council that your mark has truly been removed, Hyuuga-san."

Neji nodded, and brought his hands up. His headband slipped away easily, and the bandages he'd been so used to wrapping around the mark soon followed, revealing his unmarked flesh. He heard sharp intakes of breath from some of the elders, while soft hissing sounds came from the clan behind him. He could also feel Hiashi's glare on his back, almost like his uncle was disappointed that he'd allowed Kagome to free him. His uncle would have understood if he had been born second and placed into the branch family, as had been his father, Hizashi's fate.

Tsunade frowned a bit more, and then turned her attention back to the girl. "Higurashi Kagome," she began again, "how is it that you removed such a mark? You told me, when you tried to remove Uchiha Sasuke's curse mark, that it is impossible to remove a mark that has been on the user for that period of time. How is it that you, the heiress of the Higurashi Clan, removed a mark that has been on this Hyuuga, yet could not remove Uchiha Sasuke's, when it is clear the Hyuuga's was placed upon him much,  _much_  sooner than Uchiha Sasuke received his own?"

Kagome tipped her head in acknowledgement to the question, but continued to smile, even though she was being accused of lying. "I could not remove Uchiha Sasuke-san's curse mark completely because the shinobi who gave it to him, Orochimaru, is stronger in chakra, whether holy or not, than I. Not only that, Tsunade-sama, but Orochimaru injected Sasuke-san with a poison when he marked him, and that poison has become apart of him, keeping the curse active, even when he is dead. The most I could do was try and destroy the poison, and then use Sasuke-san's own chakra and aura to seal the curse to where he could use it at desperate times without losing himself to it," she said.

"Even so," Tsunade said, "how was it that you removed a curse mark that was placed long ago, even if it did not involve the poison you speak of?"

She allowed her lips to tip a bit more, "I remember that conversation you spoke of, Hokage-sama, and not to be rude, but I remember telling you that it is  _almost_  impossible and it also depends on the type of curse when it comes to removing them."

Tsunade snorted, but nodded in any case. She knew the girl long enough to know that she did not lie, so there was no reason to believe she was doing so now. "Tell me, though," Tsunade said again, " _how did_ you remove Hyuuga Neji's curse mark?"

"Because," she began, "though the Hyuuga curse mark is intertwined into a person soul, as Sasuke-san's had been, it is truly dormant until the Hyuuga dies. It is simply a mark that has a great hold on the person until they die and it activates to destroy the secrets behind the Byakugan.

"Whereas Sasuke-san's curse mark had been given to him by a Sannin, a shinobi far greater in strength than I, the Hyuuga curse mark is given by the head, a shinobi not as strong as any Sannin. The mark intertwines itself into the persons soul, but not nearly as tightly as Sasuke-san's, because the shinobi who places it does not have the kind of power to make it control or persuade the shinobi it is placed upon to do as the shinobi who placed it wishes. Sasuke-san's, along with the poison, held him in such an embrace that it was impossible to break it, but Neji's, any Hyuugas', is not nearly as tight, and was easy to untwine once I found the base."

Her eyes flashed, her doujutsu just underneath the surface, as she turned her eyes toward the Hyuugas' behind her. "I can see it," she said, "just as you know any Higurashi can see any curse, any true evil or small traces of  _youki_  which cling to Jinchuuriki. I can see it, and all I needed to do, Hokage-sama, was pull a few strings that had been placed and then it tore itself apart."

"Higurashi Kagome," an elder coughed, "you do realize under what light this places you, do you not?"

"Yes," she said, her eyes shining brighter. "I do realize it, and I understand why you would choose to sentence me to death," she noticed that Neji had turned to her sharply, "but I will never remove another curse mark from another Hyuuga."

"How can we be positive you will never do this again?" a Hyuuga elder demanded. "You have already upset the balance within our clan, and there is no telling how much more you could cause. You're word is as good as…"

"Enough," the elder next to him hissed, "we do not need to listen to your rambling at the moment. Tell us, Higurashi Kagome, why it is you will never remove another curse mark, though I, too, seriously doubt your word?"

She met Neji's eyes, and smiled, not realizing the Godaime Hokage had seen the exchange between their eyes. "I have no reason to remove any other curse marks. I have no ties to any other Hyuuga, so why would I wish to remove their marks? Yes, perhaps out of the goodness in my heart, but I would have no true reason to remove any other curse mark. And," she sighed, "I do not do things without good reason."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes completely, glaring intently at the girl standing there so innocently, gazing at his nephew. "Then what reason did you have for removing the curse mark from Neji? Why is he so important to you that you would remove the mark that has been with him nearly his entire life, yet you would refuse to remove other marks?"

She turned toward the head of the Hyuuga Clan, and tilted her head to one side. "I would say that you are rather blind, Hiashi-sama," Kagome smiled. "But, I was blind, too, in the beginning."

"Stop speaking in riddles, girl," Hiashi growled, his eyes darkening.

"The reason is my own," she stated. "You have no right to know it."

An elder at the left of the Hokage leaned forward, her voice strong, "Higurashi Kagome, heiress of the Higurashi Clan, and next keeper of the Higurashi shrine." She addressed her, watching as she turned her head toward her, and allowed her lips to thin, "You do realize, do you not, that without a truly good reason for removing Hyuuga Neji's curse mark, you will be sentenced to death? You realize, do you not, that you will be leaving everything you hold dear behind?"

Kagome finally frowned.

"I know that the Uchiha heir, Sasuke, holds great fondness toward you since you helped him gain control over his curse mark," she continued. "Have you thought that perhaps, should you die, he will lose complete control over his curse mark?

"I know," she went on, "that you have only one sibling, a younger brother named Souta. What will happen to him should you die, sentence yourself to this death? And, I know that though he is the only blood sibling you have, you consider a young boy by the name of Shippo, a monk on the grounds, Miroku, and another skilled shinobi, Sango, to be your siblings. I also know, from what we have been told, that there are many within your clan that you hold dear, and they return the feelings? What will happen to them should you decide to allow this fate to behold you?

"I know," she said, "because I, too, am a Higurashi, as you know. Yet, it seems to me that you are rather willing to die, even when your clan is in desperate need of you. Not only because you are one of the only women to be born within the clan for the last seventeen years, but because your brother is not nearly ready to take the clan under his watch. You must face the facts, Higurashi Kagome," she was cut off as Kagome cast her a rather dark look.

"To you," Kagome growled, "it is Higurashi Kagome-sama, Higurashi Fubuki. And don't you dare mock me about what will happen should I die. I know full well what will happen to those people, and I know full well that they will one day be able to pull through the horror of my death. They, unlike how you make them sound, are strong, and the Higurashi Clan shall not die so easily." Her eyes flashed a deep purple, the blue suddenly shifting to become the pupil. She tried to take a step forward, "Higurashi Fubuki, do not dare try and lecture me. I know what I am doing, I know the consequences of my actions—I am no longer the child that you taught."

Fubuki frowned deeply, "Your feelings, Kagome-sama, are strong. I can feel them, but still I do not believe that you fully understand what may happen should you not tell this council the reason you removed Hyuuga Neji's curse mark. You were a foolish girl when I first began to teach you and it seems that you have not managed to pull past that stage yet!"

"You have forgotten your place," Kagome hissed, her authority showing through her happiness.

"You're not head yet," Fubuki's eyes flashed, "and it appears that you  _never_  will be."

Hiashi's quick thinking made him smirk a little, and he noticed that Neji had settled a glare upon him. Their timing couldn't have been anymore perfect. "This," he motioned toward them, "is exactly what I spoke of, Hokage-sama. The Hyuuga Clan does not meddle into the affairs of other clans', why should this Higurashi heiress be able to meddle into ours'?"

"You wish to know?" Kagome growled. "I will tell you if you truly wish to know, Hiashi- _sama_."

Hiashi frowned, along with a few of the elders that thought perhaps the display would get the girl out of their hair.

"Enough," Tsunade groaned. "Kagome, explain to me this sudden change of position you've shown."

"The Higurashi Clan is set in ranks, much like the way a village is," Kagome said, her anger fading into the background as she turned her attention to the Hokage. "There is the head, the highest rank. Heir or heiress is the second highest. The third highest rank is elder. The other ranks are not important at this moment, but each and everyone has a certain position depending on what they do within the village. It is almost as if we are a small one of our own. The ranks are set in order to keep  _balance_ ," she mocked the Hyuuga's words, "to keep those lower in the family from prying into things they should not."

Tsunade blinked in confusion, though she understood small pieces.

"Each rank has a certain thing that they must do within the clan, whether it is watching over another, or bringing in money. We work as a whole, but those who think they're higher than another rank are punished. I am second highest in my clan, no one but my mother has right to do as the elder beside you has unless I give permission for him or her to do so. As you can clearly see, I have not," Kagome's eyes flashed again, "but I shall not punish her here."

Fubuki leaned backwards, bowing her head in acknowledgement. The rules of the clan were far more strict than that of the village; by speaking out of turn she could very well get herself disowned, even with her age. However, the idea was brought to her mind, and she turned toward Hiashi, noticing that the Hyuuga narrowed his eyes from the way she'd straightened up again. "Tell me, Hiashi-sama, have you thought about punishing the boy?"

Hiashi blinked, "Why would we punish someone of our own clan, when the Higurashi is old enough to understand the course of her actions? The curse mark can be replaced—"

"No," Neji spoke up. "Hiashi-sama, the curse mark cannot be replaced."

"What?" Hiashi asked.

Kagome nodded, her soft smile returning to her face. "The miko properties within the Higurashi Clan are a safeguard to make sure that curses we place under our control cannot be replaced, nor can a new one be placed, as well—it also acts as a safeguard to any demon sealing, making sure the demon cannot break free. One outside the clan may not understand that completely, but," she paused, "a good example would be Uchiha Sasuke-san. The miko properties in my clan will make it so that even if I die he will not be able to lose himself within the power of his curse mark unless under dire circumstances. The miko properties within my blood will stop the original, a new, or an alerted version of the Hyuuga curse mark to be placed onto Neji."

Hiashi turned his attention back to the Higurashi elder. "That may be," he growled, "but why would we punish Neji, when it is clearly the Higurashi's fault for removing the curse mark in the first place."

Fubuki smirked, "The boy seemed to speak up quite quickly when you mentioned the curse mark being replaced. It is clear to me that he knew the curse mark would never be able to be placed upon him again. Besides, he had to be willing for the Higurashi purification to work upon him."

A Hyuuga elder snapped, "What are you talking about?"

"The Higurashi purification," Fubuki continued, "unlike chakra, cannot be forced upon a human. The purification properties in the Higurashi chakra cannot be forced upon any unwilling human—perhaps a demon, or a human that shows very  _strong_  demon traits, but never a human. If you remember correctly, Hyuuga-san, the Uchiha heir had to agree and allow Kagome-sama to help him with his curse mark. If he had not agreed, the purification would not be passed onto the human without Higurashi blood, thus making what was passed on only normal chakra."

"So what?" another snapped, clearly irritated.

"It is clear that he agreed to have the curse mark removed from him. He also knew, as you heard, that another curse mark would not be able to be placed upon him, thus setting him free of any similar curse. It is clear to me," Fubuki said, "that he is at fault as much as the one you're accusing of upsetting your clans balance."

Tsunade sighed. "Hyuuga Neji," she brought his attention to her, "did you agree to have the curse mark removed?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Neji nodded only once.

"When?" Tsunade asked.

"Four days ago," Neji replied.

"Why?" Tsunade continued.

Neji lowered his eyes, becoming quiet. Then, after a few moments of silent thinking, he lifted his eyes, and replied, "Because she asked me. She asked me if I would want to be free of the curse mark and I told her yes."

"Because she  _asked_  you?" a Hyuuga spat. "The curse mark hides the secrets of the Byakugan and you wished to get rid of it because she  _asked_  you?"

"Yes," Neji nodded.

Tsunade raised her hand before the Hyuuga elder could begin again, and turned her eyes away from the Hyuuga standing before her. This meeting was almost as bad as paperwork, and she hated paperwork. They needed to come up with a solution or move the rest to another date. It appeared, however, that not everyone was satisfied with the small pieces they were getting and were waiting to get the entire puzzle created before they decided to even decide on what was going to happen. "Higurashi Kagome," she said, "why was it you asked this of Hyuuga Neji?"

Kagome's smile turned even softer, and Tsunade got the feeling that she was about to get her answer. She wasn't stupid, nor was she blind, she'd seen the way the two acted with each other. Either they were very close, or they were merely putting up a good act in order to get both their butts off the line. From the continuing softness that Kagome showed, though, something she'd never seen the girl show within a crowd or with a group of over eight people, she had a pretty good guess that it was the first option.

"Because it was in my power to do so," Kagome said. "And… I will do anything for the man I love, if it'll make him happy."

Neji turned his head to the side slightly, knowing that had been the reason she was here. He'd told her to start thinking about herself, yet she'd told him that she wanted to make his life better, to help him in any way she could. She'd asked him if he wanted to be free of the curse mark, of the Hyuuga family, and though it had taken him a while, he'd told her yes. But, he didn't give her that answer only because he still held a slight bitterness toward his uncle, but because he'd wondered what their life could be like, together, if he wasn't held down by the rest of the Hyuuga family. Now he had that chance, but it seemed that destiny might rip the chance away from him.

Tsunade's eyes softened a bit, noticing the tears that were gathering in the corners of the Kagome's eyes. It was clear that she loved the Hyuuga brat greatly, but she also knew that that might not be any reason for the council to give her merely house arrest or restrict her from ever going near the Hyuuga district again. She could understand her wish to make him happy, to free him from something that he believed bound him to the path he followed, though. The others probably did as well, but this trial had not been called for matters of the heart.

"Love?" a Hyuuga elder asked, a slight chuckle in his voice. He had never experienced the emotion, his wife had merely been a way to give him children and help the Hyuuga Clan grow. So, he turned his attention toward the young Hyuuga standing in front of the girl now, staring almost blankly at her, "Tell me, Neji, do you feel the same love as this girl does?"

Hiashi snapped his head around, glaring lightly at the elder. He understood why the girl had asked Neji if he would wish for his curse mark to be erased, but that did not mean that he would allow them to go away unpunished. One of them, since it was clear to him now that Neji did know and agreed to have the curse mark erased, would be punished.

Neji remained silent for the time.

The elder smirked. "It appears that your feelings are one-sided. Perhaps you should have thought about trying to erase the Uchiha heir's curse mark completely, since he's more willing to give you the emotion you seek from one of our clansmen."

Kagome's happy smile disappeared, and she snapped, "He doesn't have to love me! You have no right to ask that of him!"

Neji reached out, brushing her bangs lightly from her face. It drew her attention toward him, her frown turning back into a smile. However, he remained silent still, until finally he reached down and took her hand, pulling it as far as her bonds would allow. "Yes," he replied.

The elders were confused for a moment.

"I do hold a strong affection for her," Neji continued. He did not know why he couldn't bring himself to merely come out and say that he felt love, but it was good enough for her. He knew that because of the way she smiled at him, a tear streaking down her cheek, her eyes sparkling.

"Is that all?" Tsunade asked. "All either of you has to say?"

They nodded.

"Very well—" Tsunade turned her face to glower at the person who dare interrupt her.

"Hokage-sama," Hiashi said.

"Yes, Hiashi-san?" Tsunade sighed.

He stepped away from the elders he'd spoken quickly with. "With the new information of the Higurashi Clan, information the Hyuuga Clan did not know, we have decided that we do not wish for the head of the Higurashi heiress."

"Oh?" Tsunade asked. This was a good thing, she was sure of it. No fighting or war between two families, perfect. "If you no longer wish to have her executed for meddling in your clans' affairs, what do you wish for?"

"Now knowing that the curse mark could not be erased without Neji's approval, without him agreeing to have it removed," Hiashi began, "and knowing the reason behind this incident, we wish merely to ask that Higurashi Kagome, heiress of the Higurashi Clan, shall never be able to touch the curse mark of another Hyuuga member. We ask that if she does, she will be executed, for no other Hyuuga clansmen shall be informed that they must agree to having the mark removed, willing, therefore the secrets would have to be leaked from someone on the outside— _her_  or one of her clansmen."

Kagome's smile dipped down a bit, and she almost said something, but Neji drew her attention back to him. She was happy he could, since she might have gotten a harsher punishment.

"Is that all?" Tsunade asked.

"No," Hiashi said. "We would like to inform the council members that from this day forward, Hyuuga Neji is no longer apart of the Hyuuga Clan."

Gasps rose from the other elders, other than the Hyuugas'.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Why is that?"

"Neji is old enough now to support himself, and strong enough to protect himself. He is jounin; he will be able to survive without the Hyuuga Clan behind him. He has disgraced himself by willingly having the curse mark removed from his person, and will no longer carry the Hyuuga name," Hiashi stated.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and noticed that the jounin and chuunin didn't seem to care. She nodded, "Very well, if that is what you wish, Hiashi-san." She moved her eyes to the two young shinobi, and commanded their attention, "Higurashi Kagome for the removal of the Hyuuga curse mark from Neji you will be placed under house arrest for the next six months. You will have two ANBU escort you anywhere and everywhere you wish to go. However, though you may not remove another Hyuuga from the curse mark within those six months, should I hear of another Hyuuga curse mark being removed, it will be your execution."

"I understand, Tsunade-sama." Kagome dipped her head, and watched as an ANBU stepped forward. She smiled at Neji as he stood at her side, obviously unfazed by the fact that he'd been disowned, his clan believing that he held no honor. The bonds around her wrists were released, and she bowed her head again.

"From this moment on," Tsunade continued, "Neji will no longer be known as a Hyuuga. That is what has been decided, you're dismissed."

Kagome smiled, despite the two ANBU that appeared at her sides, and grabbed Neji's hand. "Come on, Neji, there's a spare room in the Higurashi shrine. I'm positive that mother won't mind you staying!" she smiled a little brighter. Not only had she freed him, but she'd also be able to see what he did now that he was free and help him more and more. That made her happy, but she would do anything for him.

She would even put her life on the line for him, and she was positive that he would do the same.

 

_\--Fin_


End file.
